The truth about multitasking

Brain research indicates that you can have several motor programs running at the same time. (Your Creative Brain by Shelley Carson, 2000) so you can steer your car, talk to passengers and adjust your rear view mirror simultaneously. Unfortunately you can only focus your conscious mental attention to one of these things at a time. You can multitask physically, but not mentally. What you are really doing is switching your attention rapidly from one task to another. When you physically multitask at work, you may feel you are more effectively using your time. But both your efficiency and effectiveness will decrease. We think sequentially so we should work sequentially.

Sheryl's Interview with Life and Style Editor, Caroline Dohack

http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/2012/jul/01/order-from-chaos/
 

Order from Chaos

A local organizing expert shares insight into common hurdles that keep people from getting organized.

By Caroline Dohack

Sunday, July 1, 2012

 Sheryl Ruedebusch wants you to know that being organized doesn't mean your home or office has to look like a set from the Container Store website.
"I think it's worth repeating: Good organization is 90 percent mental as you get your habits right and 10 percent physical — containers, software and furniture you get into your life," Ruedebusch said.
And what good organization entails varies from person to person.
"There is no one-size-fits-all. To me, good organization means everything in my life has a home and, if I need it, I can find it quickly to use it, to share it, to consume it, whatever the case may be," Ruedebusch said.
But when it comes to getting organized, many experts believe there are six major issues that impede progress.
"That doesn't mean everybody deals with all of them or deals with them all the time," Ruedebusch said.
By identifying which issues are at play, people can start to work toward a better organized system.

HANDLING INCOMING ITEMS

Daily life throws a lot at us. There are papers, emails and voice messages.
"Paper can include books and magazines. Paperwork seems to be a struggle, even though we are in the digital age. … We are a society where we have electronic gadgets that can get at us seven days a week, 24 hours a day," Ruedebusch said.
What often happens is those things start to pile up, either physically or digitally.
"It's coming to their computers. They have these saved emails that go on for hundreds," Ruedebusch said.
Ruedebusch said the root of the problem seems to be indecision.
"To combat that, I ask people to consider quick decisions, one of five," Ruedebusch said.
Those decisions are:

• Discard or delete the item.
• Delegate it to another person.
• Take immediate action.
• File for reference.
• File for follow-up.

To keep the follow-up items in order, Ruedebusch keeps a set of folders, one dated one through 31 and another labeled January through December. Items to be dealt with in the near future go into one of the numbered files; items that need to go on the back burner are filed into the appropriate month's folder.
"If people do that, they will find that the things aren't piling up on the counters or desktops or other various pieces of furniture in their personal or professional lives," Ruedebusch said.

PRIORITIZING

For some, disorganization is an almost existential problem.
"Many of us struggle with 'Everything is important, and if everything is important, nothing is,' " Ruedebusch said.
When working with clients who have difficulty prioritizing tasks, Ruedebusch said it is not uncommon for procrastination to be an issue.
"I'll say, 'When do you have to do something with this?' Often, people say, 'Tomorrow.' "
To help assign priority to different tasks, Ruedebusch said to ask the following questions:

• How difficult is it?
• What is it going to cost?
• How much time does it take?
• What is the impact? Does it really help anybody?

"Giving a value to those four things helps them think that way. It's amazing what people can do if they've been careful and identified priorities," Ruedebusch said.

USING TIME RATIONALLY

But even if you have a good list of priorities, there's only so much time in the day.
"When you look at that list, maybe at the bottom of the list there is something that looks like, 'I just don't feel like making that phone call or writing that letter. I'm going to go down below here and play with some email.' You have to ask yourself: Is that really a rational use of your time?" Ruedebusch said.
If using time rationally is a challenge, Ruedebusch recommended figuring out how long each job takes and blocking out the appropriate amount of time on the calendar.
Ruedebusch likens time management to the Weight Watchers program, which helps people stay on track by having them record everything they eat. It can seem a little tedious at first, she said, but it helps a person make note of areas where they struggle and, over time, develop new habits.

MANAGING PROJECTS

Ruedebusch said that often, big projects are haphazardly organized.
"What I try to do with" clients "is identify: 'What are the things we're looking at in this project? Do we have to manage communications between people? Do we have to look at costs and budget? Do we have to look at a timeline?' "
Ruedebusch said a binder with subdivisions for different tasks can help manage big projects, but a spreadsheet can help with smaller projects. Ruedebusch said to make columns for what tasks need to be done, who is going to complete them and when they must be finished.

PERSONALITY

Ruedebusch said some personality traits can actually hinder progress.
She listed perfectionism as an example.
"It's natural for many of us to want to get everything perfect. Then we learn there is no perfect, but we look for what I call continued sustained excellence," Ruedebusch said.
Ruedebusch added that perfectionism isn't necessarily a bad trait but said it can make some aspects of organization uncomfortable.
"You have to recognize your personality type or style" when putting a new system into place, Ruedebusch said.

PHYSIOLOGICAL ISSUES

Sometimes, personality traits can cross over into an extreme territory, Ruedebusch said. Although she is not trained to make diagnoses, she said she is aware some psychological issues can impede progress.
"If someone feels they're freezing up on productivity, it may be that they need to seek help," Ruedebusch said.

Reach Caroline Dohack at 573-815-1727 or e-mail cedohack@columbiatribune.com.